I have a theory that film debuts in horror tend to be stellar films because the director has had this one idea gestating in their heads for years. Theyāve perfected the story, know the characters, and have it plotted out to stay ahead of the audience. So when they get greenlit, their vision comes to the screen as a fully-realized piece of art.
Talk to Me is one of the strongest debuts Iāve seen. It is terrifying, unique, and thought-provoking. Add in a star making performance by Sophie Wilde, and you have the best horror movie of the year ā and another win by A24.
This well-pace film delivers the story upfront and lets viewers get comfortable with the idea of chasing a high via the supernatural. Like all things that get you high, it becomes addictive for one character who describes herself as broken following the death of her mother. As we now know, trauma is a linchpin to unspeakable horrors yet to come in an A24 film, and this one is absolutely brutal.
The effects are, at times, so shocking that I couldnāt imagine how it was filmed on this budget. The atmosphere and dread start closing in and then start choking you, and it does not let up until the blissful, hellish end. As original ideas go, this one travels further that one would expect and lends itself to a reasonable continuation, which I understand has already been greenlit.